Bees
by nomnomfood
Summary: If Nova had chosen differently, she might have ended up as something like a sister to Gon. But she chose a different path, and she stays and faces years of pain and neglect. When she takes the Hunter Exam, she realizes that her life is going to be a brief existence. If she's only got one chance to make a change, she might as well make her one sting count.
1. Chapter 1

Standard disclaimer applies to all chapters henceforth.

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Chapter 1: Stone

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The baby stared up at him, eyes round and large. Her mouth formed words, but no sounds came out. If it had been gifted with the gift of speech, she would have, with no doubt, spoken to the man and told him things far beyond her years, told him exactly what he wanted to know. But if she could speak, she wouldn't be out here, and would instead be inside, jewels and finery draped over her being.

"How old are you?" This girl was far more intelligent than most children her age should be. He didn't know her exact age, but she couldn't have been much older than the son that he carried on his back right now, in a woven straw basket, cradled in blankets that people had gifted him..

Again, she opened her mouth but no noise came out. Her nose scrunched up as she frowned, as if it was a surprise she couldn't say anything. Disappointed by her inability to speak, she instead raised a single finger followed by seven fingers. A year and seven months. Four months younger than Gon.

"I'm Ging and this is my son, Gon. What's your name?" He sat beside her and set his sleeping son in his lap, deciding that as long as he was stopping, he might as well let Gon see the different world that he had arrived in.

The girl shook her head, thin wisps of black hair following her movements. She looked down at the floor, disappointed in herself. She forced her hand to write in the sandy dirt, with characters that she remembered people desperately trying to teach her in a last ditch effort to aid the speed at which she learned to talk. It didn't work, but she did know how to write now.

 _No_

A look of understanding flashed on the man's face. She couldn't speak, so she hadn't been granted a name either. He took in her appearance again and saw that she was lacking the healthy fat that all infants had. She was by no means malnourished to the extreme, but one could tell that she was not accustomed to having a full belly every day. Her hair lacked the healthy shine that was present on his son's and she was far too pale for somebody who looked as though they were waiting outside for quite some time.

"Well, do you want me to take you away from this place?" The building behind her was a severe looking one, grey but grand. No gentle light filtered down from the windows, though it was night time. It was an unhappy looking place that didn't look like it had a child's touch.

She tilted her head, considering him, before shaking her head from side to side. He had come from nowhere, and though she wasn't happy here, she was safe. Being happy could come later, when she learned to speak. Then she would be worthy of smiles and happy glances, and she could travel the world whenever she wanted.

Gon began to wake up, arms stretching out of the bundle of blankets he was wrapped in. He was by no means a quiet child, but most of all, he was curious. He looked up at his father before he waddled over to the foreign girl.

"Who?" He turned to his father, inquiring after the small child in front of him.

Ging patted his son's head. "Her name is Nova. If she wants, she can come with us, but only if she wants to."

Even at her young age, she had a high mental capacity and high emotional capability. She was confused, because this man was someone she didn't know, but the boy looked like he was her age and he looked so happy. He didn't look like he was scared, and he looked like he felt safe as he snuggled into the man's arms. A small spark of happiness flew through her chest when she realized that she had been named. It wasn't as good as being named by her parents, but a name was a name, and now she could finally be called something.

Ging asked her again. "Do you want to come with us?" The scarce few animals around the castle they stood outside began to gather around him. An angry voice called from one of the towers around the castle's walls.

"Child! Come here!" The anger in the voice was unmistakable. Ging could tell that it was tinged with regret and sorrow, but at the young age of a year and seven months, the only thing that the newly christened Nova could tell was the anger present.

A troubled look came over her face, and Ging frowned because no child should have that kind of a look on their face. Childhood should be filled with happiness and smiles. He wasn't that great of a father, that he knew, but at least he had ensured that his son smiled every day. Not once has this child smiled since he got here, and he doubted that she ever did.

Gon had a huge smile on his face when Nova turned to look back at him, searching for answers. She didn't want to stay here, not right now. Maybe one day she would come back and face her fears, but right now, all she wanted to in a loving embrace. She wanted to be able to share the same happiness that this boy had. Gon held his hand out to her, and for a moment, Ging saw true recognition in his son's eyes, and knew that one day, if allowed, they could become the best of friends. Nova, too, reached out a shaky hand, bringing herself to her feet.

The voice called out again, sharp and loud. "Where are you? If you don't come within the next minute, you'll be punished."

In the end, fear always won out. As shakily as it had been offered, Nova's hand retracted quicker than Gon's smile came. She stood and bowed to Ging and Gon. Two darkened circles from tears formed on the dry dust settled on the path, but when she looked up at them, her dried lips smiled so big that they threatened to crack. She turned away from them and didn't look back as she hurried to find the person who was calling for her.

Gon looked up confusedly at his father. "Why?" he asked, his hand still waiting for it's partner to meet his.

Absentmindedly, Ging clenched his robes. Before relaxing his fists and calming his son. "Sometimes, Gon, people are trained to be caged and live a life without freedom. When they try to leave, something always prevents them." Now, he looked his son right in the eyes. "Don't ever become caged, Gon. When you grow up, grow up to be free, and make decisions that benefit yourself. Otherwise you'll be stuck in a cycle that will be inescapable."

His sharp ears picked up a harsh sounding slap. Perhaps, the saddest thing, was that no cry came afterwards. That meant she was too accustomed to abuse that she did not even let anyone know about the pain that followed. She would grow up to be strong, and maybe she wouldn't end up completely broken, but with a childhood like hers, there was no doubt that her past would always come back to torment her.

For a second, he contemplated breaking her out of the prison she was in, but he decided against it. Even though the fire in her eyes was dying before he spoke to her, when she left, it had been burning anew. When she survived this, when she finally broke out, she would be stronger than someone who had always been free. She would understand the consequences of her actions much more than his son.

A bout of angry yelling directed at the girl could be heard even by his son, who covered his ears. "Not fair," he complained. His son took to people like Ging took to animals. The animals that still danced around them stilled before they ran, as if predicting what would happen.

An ear shattering scream broke the clear day. Tears formed in Gon's eyes, and he looked like he was going to wail as Ging patted his back and put him back in the wooden basket on his back. His stomach was unsettled even though he had seen far worse. He had seen people who had been mutilated, their guts pouring out and blood running out their eyes. He was no stranger to death and gore.

Children were innocent though, undeserving of the kind of pain that typically only grown people felt. Ging wondered what the girl would grow up to be like, when she was subjected to this kind of pain and trauma at such a young age. He knew, in the back of his mind, that there were many children who faced so much worse than her. He knew because he saved many of them on his travels, taking them out of hellholes and giving them hope.

But if she didn't choose that path, he couldn't help her. He left a little bit of his Nen there, to linger in the form of a pretty bauble he hoped she would pick up one day. For nearly ten years, the silver bracelet was left there in the dirt, overlooked by the animals and stepped on by uncaring nobles. Rain and dust and mud covered it, but his Nen had infused it so that it would glow to her, and only to her, until she picked it up.

Almost ten years later, in early November, a little girl whose name was only known to three people in the whole world ventured outside for the first time since she saw that odd man and his son. As if it was calling for her, she walked straight to the bracelet, dusted it off and placed it on her wrist.

She didn't admire it and trudged forward into the forest. Her figure was malnourished and scars ran up and down her body, albeit in clever places that nobody but herself would be able to see them. People rarely came to visit them, but even they, themselves, did not wish to see the painful red welts that were raised with each crack of the whip. They didn't care that when she was much younger, barely a toddler, she had cried for hours on end when they had first punished her. She was a mistake and nothing more to them.

Nova knew that, but she didn't concern herself much with thoughts of anything like that. Instead, she let all of her anger swirl in her belly, waiting for it's turn, when she was finally strong enough to survive on her own without any help. She would not take any revenge with her own hands, and she was not one who thought revenge was a dish best served cold. All she would do was watch as they slowly fell apart, and the strong stones that they thought would protect them forever would turn on them.

At that moment, when she was walking away, she didn't even have the heart to think that she would one day be strong enough to see them fall. She instead walked forth with a goal: the 287th Hunter Exam. As long as she didn't fail, she assured herself that she would never have to come back to this place again. For now, that was better than any revenge that could ever be given.

The voice, older now, called out for her again. "Come back here, you impudent child!" She had seen three more children of hers born; one a stillbirth, one who died from fever, and one more who survived. He was a male, which ensured that the family line would go on, but once he hit the age of six, it was apparent that he was not nearly as smart as Nova had been at that age.

She had been used as a tutor, one that was reprimanded frequently if Sterling fell behind in any subject. Even Sterling looked down upon her, though he was well aware that she was his older sister, and much smarter and capable at that. Nobody even tried to go after her, because they thought that she would come back, and if she didn't there was no great loss.

The Arsenios had no use for people with disabilities, too blind to see their real worth, even if it was already shining with every step they took. Nova didn't risk a glance back at the imposing grey walls that had always cast a shadow on her life, for fear that she would go running back to the same fate she had wanted to escape for so long. Only the letter, clenched in her hands, gave her strength to take the last step, finally out of reach of the castle's grip.

Ignoring Nova's innate talent was a choice the Arsenio's would all regret, as after each hour when they called after her from inside the supposed safety of stone, Nova never came for them. When they were finally pushed to the edge, and they called for her to be their savior, the last glance that she chose not to give to them, would be their downfall, and when they were old and grey, crying on the steps of the rich, she would look down at them from the highest point that one could.

And she would laugh.

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I wanted to write this fanfiction, because so frequently, people write about an OC ending up with Gon or Killua as children, and that really shapes how they act and think. Don't get me wrong, I love those fanfictions, but I wanted to see the kind of character that would develop if they stayed in their current lifestyle, even if a different one was offered to them.

For a brief outline: next chapter, Nova will go to the hunter exam, but none of the beginning stuff will be shown. It will skip directly to the first phase. As I'm writing Nova's character out, I feel like she wouldn't be one of those lovey kinds of girls, at least, not to begin with. She is a strong character who takes pride in being self-serving. So if there is any romance, it will be long in the making, and even then, barely existent.

If there's any grammar mistakes/spelling mistakes, just let me know and I will try my hardest to edit it as soon as possible.

Reviews/follows/favorites are always a delight, and it makes me happy to know that people are taking and interest in my writing.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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Tonpa hated the rookies this year. First there was that crazy ninja, then there was a kid that was immune to poison. There was also the one that he didn't dare go near to, the one called Gittarackur, who had pins sticking out all over his body. Now, as he approached another rookie, he had hope that he would finally be able to make somebody quit the exam.

"Hi there miss, my name's Tonpa. Welcome to the Hunter Exam! Would you like me to explain anything to you?" He had a smile on his face, a carefully crafted one that he thought looked every inch a real smile.

She didn't respond and looked straight through him as though he wasn't even there. When she walked, she upushed him aside as if he was less than a bug that crossed her path, not even yielding to brush him off.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance and glanced at her number on the pin. 144; exactly a hundred numbers up from that crazy clown. He wondered if she had any relation to him before shaking his head. She might have been a snob, but no person with even half a brain would go near the man voluntarily unless they were crazy.

His eyes followed every movement she made, like a predator watching prey. She had the bearing of a noble, of that, he had no doubt in his mind. She walked too elegantly and held her head at such an angle that it could not be refuted. Tonpa hated her with every inch of his soul. He loved to crush rookies, and he would crush this one if it was the last thing he did.

The elevator dinged, and he realized that there was a person who escaped his notice with an unfamiliar face. His number was lower than the ninja's, but he wa so round that he wondered how he had missed him. Now he had a pair that he would be able to break, as the boy was out of shape and already looked s though he wouldn't pass the exam.

Tonpa went in pursuit of possibly easier prey.

The girl, on the other hand, watched his movements. Walking past him as though he didn't ist had not been random. She was well aware that he was a rookie crusher and she could smell the deceit oozing off of him. He smelled too similar to her family for her not to notice. A boy who looked around her age walked up to him and asked for another drink.

He was trained against poison, and his light steps told stories of abuse that he had been subjected to. She carefully took note of the number displayed on his chest; 99. She would try to stay out of his way as much as possible.

To get a better view of the place, she climbed on top of one of the pipes and hid, like she did every day when she was at that accursed castle. Right now, the number of contestants was nearing four hundred, the person walking through the elevator doors proving her point when he was handed a tag number that read 370.

A few people earlier, she had noticed a presence that was stronger than the rest, outstripping all of them except for the red-headed one dressed like a clown. She didn't have an opportunity to look at him then, but now she saw him, also waiting in a dark corner like she was. He had pins covering his entire body, and when he turned, he looked directly at her and began to rattle his head.

She made no acknowledgement that she had seen him, though she looked him in the eyes as well. In the few months she had been outside, she figured out she was very adept at figuring out people's intentions. Though he was not actively trying to kill anybody right now, he was a killer.

Nova inclined her head to tell him that, yes, she saw him, and yes, she knew what he was. He stared at her for a few moments more before his eyes swept the crowd and landed on contestant 99. She felt bad for him, because 301 looked at him with such intensity that she was sure that later in the exam, he would do something to harm him.

She relaxed and wondered when Gon would finally arrive.

In November, a piece of paper had been flown in with a white dove, a different one from the last time he had sent her anything, but of the same species. Ging sent her papers sporadically, but she was grateful for them. Without his help, she imagined that she probably would have gone insane.

The letters were typically nothing more than a few kind words, ones that she had been starved of. They always brought news of the outside world, which she was forbidden to learn about. It was kind an unnecessary, and Nova knew she didn't deserve it every time she let a small smile onto her face and read its contents.

This time, the opening sentence made her frown.

 _Nova, this will be the last letter I write to you._

At that time, she looked around her and hurried to her room before anybody could call out and stop her from doing as she wished. Her steps had been silent on the cold stone so as not to alert anybody to her presence.

 _I know that you're a strong girl. It's time for you to leave now. My son, Gon, is taking the Hunter Exam this year, and you should too._

His letter was unusually short and only five sentences were on the scrap of paper that the dove, who had already left, told her nearly nothing of what she wanted to know.

 _I won't write to you at all, not until you find me._

It wasn't signed, but then, who else would send messages to her with a white dove? She wondered why she stayed here so long, and realized it was partially because she had been waiting to see Ging again, hoping that he would come back. Nova realized she never should have had that hope.

If you want something, you have to grab it with your own two hands and never let it go.

Nova walked straight into her mother's room, where she knew that a large amount of jewelry that could be sold for a large sum could be found. Seeing as it was the middle of the day, Nova was not surprised to see that her mother was just getting up, blearily rubbing her eyes and calling for Nova to bring her breakfast.

"Good," she said. "You've finally learned to come on time when I call you." She gave her a once over and realized that she held no breakfast, no clothes, nothing in her hands. Slowly, a red tint took over her face. "You useless creature," she yelled. "You can't even do the simplest of jobs right."

By this time, her brother, Sterling had woken up and walked into the room as if he owned it. "What's this I hear, dear mother, about Nova being useless? Of course she is, she won't ever amount to me."

Marie nodded appreciatively of her son, backing her up. "You see? Even your brother, who is so kind to you, agrees. Now get out of here and get my breakfast." As if weary, she fell back onto her bed and sighed, putting her hand to her heart.

Nova did not move from her spot, and searched for the wooden box where she kpt her jewels. Her steps were so fast that neither of them registered it until she was already out of the room. The box was quite heavy, and she was glad that she spent her mornings training.

She didn't pass her room, instead choosing to walk right outside to her freedom. They didn't even send guards after her, and did nothing more than call after her. They must have reasoned that she wasn't worth doing that much for.

And then she was free.

A blissful smile overtook her face before a shrill bring rang out through the corridor and brought her out of her trance. She turned her attention towards the front of the room, where a purple haired man with an impressive mustache commanded the attention of the room.

"I am Satotz, and will be taking you to the second phase of the Hunter Exam."

People murmured, asking what the first one was. Nova shook her head. This exam was following, something she had hoped she wouldn't have to do. Yes, at least she had a goal now, but it still wasn't a pleasant feeling, to follow orders.

She stayed in the middle of the pack, not wanting to go too fast just in case there were other exams that took up too much of her energy. Unluckily for her, that was also where most of the lunatics stayed, thinking with the same train of thought. Great minds think alike, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to be lumped in with these people.

"Ahn? What brings a little girl like you to the Hunter Exam?" It was the one dressed like a clown, the one she didn't necessarily like. His aura attracted her like a fly to honey, but she wasn't stupid enough to get caught in it. Leaning over her and whispering in her ear, he said, "Can you _see_ , little girl?" before holding a single finger up.

Without a second thought, she jumped away from him. She didn't know what he had just done, but whatever he did, it couldn't have been good. There had been an influx in the pressure he gave off, as if he was preparing for an attack.

"So you can't see, but you can feel." He smiled and gave her a pat on the head. "More perceptive than most. You'll be a fine specimen when you grow older." Shuffling his deck, he offered a card to her. "Pick a card, any card."

Every muscle in her body ached to leave, but she had seen what he did earlier, to the man that was rude to him. She did not want to be his next victim. With a pained smile and cautious fingers, she grabbed a card from the proffered deck and held it like she expected it to explode. When it did not, she calmed down just enough to realize that by this time, they were nearing the back of the pack. It would be hard to convey anything without words or a notepad, and she didn't want people to know that she had a weakness.

If she had to stay here for the next hour and do a desperate, last minute sprint for the exit, she would do that. His eyes glittered with a dangerous emotion, which one it was, she could not say. A smirk pulled at his lips as he eyed her card. "Ace of spades, I see. What an interesting card for one so young to pick~"

She nearly shoved the card back into his deck, but he refused it, her handing bouncing back as if there was a barrier. "No, you keep that. You can do whatever you want with it, but I recommend keeping it until you can see~" He gave her a closed eyed smile and ran off in pursuit of the crowd.

Now she really was at the back, and only the true stragglers remained. What she found odd, was that the white-haired boy, the one who was immune to poison, was back here. Then, her eyes were drawn to the person next to him. Gon. In all of his spiky haired, determined stance, golden-eyed glory, he stood there like a wall that refused to break. He was looking at something, or rather, someone, behind her.

It was a man that looked down-trodden, and his eyes looked like he had given up. Why would Gon wait for him? But even as she asked herself, she knew. He had the same kindness that his father had, even if he did end up leaving his son. Somebody who opened their heart to a complete stranger could never be somebody who was bad, at least, not in Nova's eyes.

Contestant 99 tugged on Gon's sleeve and said, almost whining, "C'mon, he's going to give up. We've got to catch up with the rest of the pack before we lose sight of them." He had a point, but she was sure that Gon had one too. Well, maybe he didn't, because his father said that he had grown up hardheaded, but she had no doubt that the reason he was staying behind was for his friend.

The thought warmed her, and a half-smile formed on her face. She barely remembered him, but for his big smile and trusting eyes. All other memories came from Ging's accounts of what he expected him to be like. She knew that he had left his son, but she did not begrudge him that. He left him in caring arms, and in a way, she knew that doing that was probably one of the best decisions one could make as a parent.

At least he knew if he didn't have the capabilities or resources, he could let him grow up in an environment that did have those things. For that, she was jealous of him. But from the moment they were born, they were destined to live such different lives, with different personalities and different approaches, there was really nothing that she could speak out against.

He deserved the life he lived, just like she deserved hers. Nova didn't really believe in reincarnation, but she did believe that the hardships in your youth would balance out the terrors that you will do to others later in your life. If you grow up with a good family, in a loving environment, you get to choose how you expend that energy, but if you don't…

Well, she knew that it was going to be extremely hard. For now, Nova resigned herself to being happy to just live another day with enough to eat and enough time to sleep. In her own thoughts, she forgot she was standing at the back of the pack, before she saw the man now heaving and trying his hardest to get up.

She allowed herself to dare a glance at Gon, who, thank his soul, was concentrated solely on his friend. When she began to run, she made every movement silent, and she thought she got away with it until she was on the other side of the corridor, about ten meters away from them. Number 99 stared her right in the eyes as she ran past. Those cold blue eyes reminded her too much of her mother, but his were more knowing. He was stronger than her mother was.

But like bees, as long as you don't bother them, they won't do much to bother you either.

It was only once she caught up to the main group and had blended back into the crowd did she let herself relax. Her pants pocket felt slightly heavier than usual, and she realized that subconsciously, she must have slipped the card that number 44 gave her into the side of her pants. Her hands twitched in anticipation, to take it out and throw it as far away as possible, but that same persistent aura was there.

 _Until she could see._

Yes, she would wait until after the exam was over to look into the mystery of this card. It had the opportunity to do much harm, but at the same time, she had a gut instinct that he wouldn't hurt her for now. The look in his eyes was on of mild curiosity, not full blown obsession. As long as he didn't progress to that stage, she would be fine. She would be fine.

She rubbed the silver bracelet on her left wrist and reassured herself one more time, that she would be fine. She wasn't stupid, and she wasn't that weak. She could hold her own, and if push came to shove, she knew that she would be able to stab the dagger she had hanging from a belt right above her belly button into any person's throat, regardless of how she felt for them.

Too many people were sweating buckets as they ran down the corridors, panting and weakening. When one associated themselves with weak people, the only possible direction to go was down. Instead, she ran in sync with a blonde boy five paces to her right, in between a girl with bright blue hair and a yellow hat and a dull looking boy with mousy brown hair and a pink hat. Nobody said anything when she fell into step with them, only eyeing her for a few moments before retreating to the respective sanctuaries of their own minds.

Their body structure was more petite than most of the rest of those who were taking the exam, but they had the quiet quality of intelligence, strategy, and training, unlike many of those who only brandished their brawn. Those who only had their muscle to rely on were slowing down, presumably from going too fast in the beginning. The tortoise would perpetually win the story of the tortoise and the hare, simply because the circumstances were so vastly in the shelled creature's favor.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to relax for this first part.

No attempt was made at conversation, and only when the old man who she saw failing to get up joined the blonde boy did their silent alliance fall apart. The girl with the yellow hat and the boy with the pink hat fell slightly behind, not wanting to get caught up in any madness that the previously suited man brought with him. Briefly, she considered whether she should retreat with them, before deciding that slowing down any further would only be detrimental to her performance.

She moved forward instead, making eye contact with the blonde boy as she passed, who acknowledged her with a nod and nothing more. Noticing that the man had taken his suit off, all except for his tie, she found herself intrigued by them both. He had been so close to failure - at the brink- so she slowed. And she listened.

"They took the eyes of my brethren. In their enraged state, our eyes turn a scarlet, a color that is considered one of the top seven beautiful colors in the world." The Kurutas. Hair of gold and eyes of blue, and yet his were not. He had most likely made a conscious decision to wear contacts to not allow anybody to see what lay underneath. It was a good choice, but undoubtedly stupid. If he went around parading it to the world like that… She spared a glance back to look for number 44 and 307. As soon as her eyes fell on them, both of them stared up at her, in uncanny unison. The Kuruta had to be more conscious about where he told his secrets and who was around him when he did.

Nova shook her head. This wasn't any of her business, yet she found herself drifting back just a little bit more to listen to the other man, who had somehow, miraculously, pinned his number to his chest. She listened to his story, and when he finished, she reflected that it was good that he wasn't afraid of sharp objects. When he was a doctor, he would have to face many, many needles and knives and-

It didn't matter. She did agree with him that the world ran on money, but she did not care for the world, so she didn't really care about money, other than having enough to survive. And since she cashed in several pounds worth of gold, platinum, and silver, she was going to have a good life for quite a while, even without the benefits of the hunters license. If she did end up passing, she would never have to care about money again.

And then, the two boys came again. Gon in all of his light-hearted happiness, and contestant 99, full of childish wonder and infatuated with Gon's simplicity. He seemed to have taken a liking to 403, calling him 'old-timer', though that in itself may have been an insult. Nova drifted over to the side again. She wanted to travel with Gon, but at the same time, she didn't. Maybe, she would go about it her own way when she tried to find Ging. It would be too difficult to convey anything to Gon, anyway.

"I'm not old, I'm a teenager just like you guys!" 403 said, spitting at 99. That came as a surprise, but not that much. Really though, only Kurapika and him were teens; Gon was only twelve, and she suspected that Killua was as well, if even that. She was on the cusp of being twelve, and since it was a rule that you had to be twelve to take the hunter exam, she would turn twelve before it was over. She got parental consent by getting her father to sign it, in all of his selfish grandeur, he had believed that it was business deal that had just fallen onto his lap, out of nowhere.

With careful steps, Nova maneuvered around the bodies that were on the floor in front of her, careful to keep a fair distance between herself and Gon. 99 glanced over at her once or twice, but paid much more attention to Gon, whom he apparently found fascinating, looking for a father he knew nothing about. And then Nova felt anger. Ging had kept up correspondence with her, but not with his own son? That was-

Not nearly as bad as it could be. Now Gon had a goal, and as long as he had something to shoot for, he would never be relaxed and he could keep on living his happy life. He would grow to unknown heights and he would be an extraordinary person, first and foremost. But for Ging, whenever he heard Gon's name sung in praise, he would be Gon's father. She knew his personality through his letter. He was the kind of person to keep his emotions under wraps, and not let anybody know how much he cared about them until he died. He was a stubborn old man, but interesting and kind all the same.

Gon would find him one day, and then he would keep growing.

They kept running at a steady fast pace, and Nova lagged a few steps behind them. They were racing, apparently, to the goal. They didn't even know where the goal was, and Nova felt that insistent voice in the back of her head come back. Why couldn't she be like them? Why couldn't she achieve things, just like them? Why did she have to be born different, be cursed and held down by having no voice?

Killua, for that was 99's name, looked back at her again, with a curious look on his face. He was no doubt wondering whether she would one day be a friend or foe. She was following too closely behind them for his liking, and she had been listening in on their conversation for a while. She appeared to be around their age though, so she didn't mind much. If she had been older, and had an aura like his brother did, then he would be worried. As it was now, the air around her felt like it was confused and lost.

All thoughts of the curious girl behind them, with black hair like his brothers, and eyes purple as the poison his mother gave him when he was young, were all pushed out of Killua's mind as they came into the final stretch. He could see the light shining down upon them, and they moved up, past 307, past the fat wrestler guy, past the ninja guy with the red handkerchief, and past Satotz. Gon thought of his victory over Killua. Killua thought of the sharp contrast, the beauty of the outside world, before he thought of his victory over Gon. Satotz thought of the two children's potential, and then of the third one's quiet strength and hidden talent.

All Nova could think of, was that it was too bright. It had been too dark for too long, and even in the castle it had been dark. The room that she lived in before the hunter exam began was dark, her room was dark, everything was dark. So, the brightness of the day was too much for her. She squeezed her eyes shut and embraced the darkness that her mind allowed her to have.

She could feel other people's eyes on her, but she didn't care. She just wanted to keep going, back into the darkness, anywhere but this stunningly bright wonderland. The mist was cooling to the touch, and it felt like the slightly damp walls of the cellar room she had in the castle, but it was too white, too pure, too bright. After a long, long time, she opened her eyes again. Now there must have been a hundred people in the clearing that only held four minutes ago. Half of them were out of breath, but the rest of them were on top guard, wary of the unseen, covered by mist.

"Are you O.K?" Gon, bless his soul, had come up to him, flanked by his guard dog, Killua. "My name's Gon, and this is Killua! What's your name?"

Her heart stopped. He did not remember her, but then again, wasn't that for the best? Wasn't that what she wanted? A bittersweet smile came onto her face, and gently, gently, she patted his head. It's spikes belied the softness of his hair, and for a few moments, she felt like she wanted to cry. She didn't try to respond this time, because unlike many years ago, she was well aware of her limits as a person, because they had been drilled into her very being every night, with whip and knife.

"Ehh?" There was a general outcry by the people around them, looking over at a battered man who held an ape that held a resemblance to Satotz in one arm. Nova used the chance to get away from Killua and Gon, so she could relax in relative safety. To her, it was clear that Satotz was the real examiner, and she hovered close to him, to his right side, and just in front of him. Whatever games the other thing was playing did not interest her.

If she could have spoken, she would have asked him to get going. Instead, she was forced to see the general stupidity of the crowd, which, in retrospect, wasn't that horrible of a thing. She knew which ones were smart and which ones were just stupid enough to die. And then, with a speed that was almost too fast for her, four cards were shot off in her direction, no, that was Satotz's direction, but at the same time, it wasn't. One of the cards was clearly directed towards her. Not wanting to make a disturbance, she simply ducked as it came towards her, and allowed it to go on to Satotz, who caught the fourth one like it wasn't a big deal.

"I see, I see." Number 44, the one who gave her a card earlier, was shuffling a deck that was now short eight cards. Of course, he probably had more packs, but he had to be missing at least that many. He turned his gaze over to Satotz, licking his lips and assessing the examiner's power. "That settles it. You're the real deal."

It sent a shiver down Nova's spine, because although she was accustomed to threats of physical pain, his gaze was something different, a different beast entirely, something she had no intention of getting wrapped up in. But, Nova was unlucky, and often times the things she wished for never came true, while the things she despised flew to her lie bees to honey.

Again, she shifter, this time slightly behind Satotz, making her the leader of the pack as he started to disappear into the wetlands. She kept such a close tail on him, that it was nearly impossible to separate the two. Their steps were so insync that only one noise was heard as two feet were set down. For a while, Satotz only thought of those who had fallen far behind, and the small group of three right behind him, breathing heavily.

Only when they got to the entrance, did he realize that there was a fourth that had been tailing him, and when he met her gaze, she was so resolute, so full of conviction and determination, even more so than the two boys that had come through the tunnel racing and arguing, that he knew. He knew that this girl was meant to be a hunter, and she would not just be a good hunter, and she would not even be a great hunter.

She would surpass that of the Zodiac, even if it was only in short bursts. Bu he also saw immeasurable sorrow, and deep down, he knew that he would not want to even glimpse what past this girl must have had. He thought that she must have been on par with an assassin's torture, but with no training, and with a body that was not equipped for it.

When she turned away first, he knew that that was her way of saying that she thought she was weak, and that she was sorry for something he didn't know about. His mind jumped back to that fourth card- That fourth card that wasn't meant for him, that was meant for her.

If Hisoka saw her as a big enough threat, without her having nen, to try to take her out so soon in the game, there was something special about her. When she moved away from him, he looked her number plate up, and only found a first name: Nova. He was sure that in not even a decade, she would take the world b storm with fearsome powers.

He only hoped that her past wouldn't shape her future.

* * *

That was a long chapter. 5,000+ words long. And of course, I literally wrote all of it in one two-hour session of word vomit. So if you notice any discrepancies, spelling errors, grammar errors, plot errors, tell me and I will change it. Hope that all of you enjoyed!

As always, I love follows, favorites, and reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

Nova twitched. These so-called _aspiring hunters_ were getting on her already frayed nerves. She was on edge already but these people had to be so loud(and for the first time, she cursed her hearing), and so extraordinarily obnoxious, she didn't quite know what to do. 44's bloodlust was leaking everywhere, just like 307's and even the examiners were on edge because of it. When they sent them out to find pork, the first thing she did was get as far away as possible from Hisoka and 307 as humanly possible, not even caring whether she was noticed or not.

"What was that?" Some people asked, as they felt a wind blow past them. Those with sharper eyes traced the path that the girl had taken, unsure of whether to follow her or to avoid her at all costs. Hisoka stood in place and licked his lips, cooing, "I really do pick the best ones."

Gittarackur had no choice but to agree. She had talent, and was quiet enough to be a good assassin. Briefly, he wondered if she did come from one of those other, less important assassin families. Internally, he shook his head. That was highly improbable, because he had drilled a list of rival assassins into his head, and that girl looked nothing like any of those on his list. If she disguised her appearance… but that was doubtful. You could tell that she didn't know nen, even though her aura was rolling off of her in waves. It was a wonder that more people hadn't taken notice of her.

Nova now clung to the tree like it was her last lifeline(which was pretty true), trying to escape from the surly, pink pings that were ready to eat whatever came their way, gourmet or not. Nova may have been strong, but if there was one thing she didn't have a lot of, well, that was her battle experience. She had been able to develop a high tolerance to pain, to exercise enough to make sure her body was in good condition, though she was sure she could be better.

But experience with hitting other things back, to fight? There wasn't a lot of that in her life. She got to see some of Sterling's swordplay lessons, and she herself had gotten a few, to assist him, but she had never taken to it that much. She could throw a punch as hard as anybody else, and take one too. However, there was no denying that her battle sense was underdeveloped. Which was why she was sitting in the tree, hoping that the pigs would just go away.

She nearly cried when some idiots(read: Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika) came tumbling down the hill, much in the same fashion she did, and distracted them long enough for her to get away. Thanking her lucky stars, she came across one pig that was obviously killed recently, an animal that looked like a hybrid between a cat and a dog standing over it. She could deal with that, because it shied away when she entered the vicinity, but she could not deal with those other people still trying to get their pigs.

With her knife, she chopped off the hind legs, the tail, and the snout and put it all in a burlap sack that she had taken from the kitchen. She didn't need all of it, and the dog-cat thing looked like it still needed food. This was a small pig compared to the others ones she had seen, but it was still quite heavy, and it was hard for her to jump from tree to tree to get back to the stations. At least, she thought in victory, she had gotten back before anybody else did. Nobody had even figured out how to kill them yet.

There was only one problem with her being the only contestant so far; she needed to know their standards. They were gourmet hunters, sure, but the larger guy seemed like he would eat anything. The girl though… perhaps a family recipe would suffice. Well, not really a family recipe, more like one she had looked up online while she was alone, right before the hunter exam, and had all the time in the world to do whatever she wanted. Perhaps cooking was time well spent for this particular exam.

"Maa-ah. What is this?" Menchi looked at the plate she was presented, and then over at the person who gave it to her. Then she looked at the droves of people coming in, and how she moved herself so that she wasn't as easily spotted. She could already tell that all of the others in the room would do no great wonder to the pork. Menchi felt an impending headache coming on, and that pressure given out by number 44 come back, stronger than ever.

This girl, at least, seemed to know portion control. 144, she thought as she took the lid off of her plate. Buhara had only been given a leg, one that seemed to be put together hastily, but she had seen much more effort going into her side. Buhara held up his stick, indicating that he had passed the girl.

Hisoka's bloodlust only got stronger as he noticed 144 was standing on the judgement platform. Nova prayed for this to be over soon, even though she wasn't a religious person. She wanted to go unnoticed, she didn't want to be seen by people, she didn't want to be anything out of the ordinary, because then people would approach her and ask her questions, and she would be unable to answer them.

Menchi observed the dish in front of her. Pig snout was an interesting choice. Personally, she never really liked the meat, because it was too rough and fatty, but, she allowed, it probably tasted better than the charred mess that others were lining up to try to get her to eat. She stabbed the meat with a fork and it sunk in. The meat was so soft, softer than the Jewel Meat she had found a year ago. Yes, it was soft, she thought as she chewed, but it wasn't very flavorful.

She had cooked it... Well. Not horribly, but not great. It was a good cut of meat though, and a good choice on 144's part. There was also a little something extra, something that wasn't a spice. She didn't recall anything but - oh, it must have been the tail of the pig. Known for it's flavor, it was a delicacy on it's own, and she flavored meat with fat. Yes, this dish was what she was looking for; the dish didn't have to be great, it just had to be innovative.

But, she looked over at the contestant, who was no longer in her line of sight. She looked around the room for her and found her, purposely running from Hisoka's eye. A smile found its way onto her face. Smart girl. Knows when to back down when she's challenged. She twirled her paddle in the air. She would have passed her, but if she didn't have the guts to stick around, just because of one person…. Then again, even she, a bonafide hunter, was intimidated by that man. Could she really fault a small child that looked no more than 13 for trying to save her own hide?

Another dish was slammed onto the table, and she was not given a chance to consider her ruling for 144. It was that stupid wrestler again, and she felt her temper flare. Within three dishes time, she had forgotten all about 144, and the odd air that she carried around with her.

#

The feeling of eyes on her was an uncomfortable, disconcerting feeling. They looked at her like she was something interesting, but not a person. It was eerily reminiscent of how her family thought of her as an object they owned,instead of a daughter. That didn't matter though. The examiner had taken too long to decide, and the feeling was too uncomfortable.

At least Hisoka's attention was elsewhere, his bloodlust encompassing the room when Menchi announced that no one had passed the second phase. There was also some bloodlust oozing from Gittarackur, but he was better at containing it. Or maybe it was that his bloodlust was more similar to the other contestants? She didn't know. Of course, when it came down to it, Nova would rather be trapped with Hisoka somewhere, rather than the latter, simply because being able to read emotions was something of a comfort to her, and allowed her to plan accordingly.

The dead look in 307's eyes did not sit well with her, not in the slightest. It looked even worse than her own, for when she looked in the mirror, she knew that her eyes weren't full of life like most other kids were. Nova did not look at herself like she was a kid though, because she knew that in her eleven years, she had probably seen and understood more than many others who led pampered lives with enough love, and people who cared about them.

She was bitter, and there was no denying that, but she couldn't change the past, and she didn't hope to change the future. She just wanted to blend in, to allow everything to go the way it was supposed to, as she settled into her own, very nondescript life that nobody cared about. She couldn't understand why two of the most powerful(and creepy) people in the exam were taking an interest in her, and she did not like it one bit.

Again, she ducked underneath the sink when she felt Hisoka's gaze turn towards her. She waited there quietly, until the chairman came down in the blimp, and another chance for the second phase examination was called for. Like always, she followed silently, not great enough to be noticed at all times, but under surveillance to see how she would grow.

#

Mount Split in Half was a wonder. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. How a deep ravine managed to cut through the line for what looked like miles on end, she didn't know, but whatever had done it must have been powerful.

She thought of Ging, and the slight aura that she picked up with them, how his letters felt stronger than regular paper. She thought of Hisoka, with his bloodlust, and Gittarackur with his carefully managed power. She thought of the examiners. She thought of the chairman. All of them seemed powerful, but could they amount to splitting the ground in half, so far, and so deep?

No, she reasoned. It wasn't possible. Even though making the ravine seemed an impossible feat for anything other than nature, she did believe it would be easy to get a spider egg and come back up, whether it was by climbing, or by the updraft that came every once in awhile. She did not, however, have any desire to go first, and was more than happy to watch Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio jump off the cliff and onto the spider webs. Then she assessed how much they weighed and whether the webs would be able to take all of their weight.

That would most likely be a negatory. She shook her head and waited a little longer. Menchi wandered over to the girl who she vaguely remembered had the one dish she probably wouldn't have failed. "You know," she began. "You passed the first examination, but you just weren't there to hear my ruling if you want, you can accept that now and not do this part."

But she had jumped already, and her voice trailed after her in the wind. This had to be timed perfectly. She whizzed past Gon and Killua, falling directly in front of them. A bad choice in placement, but not necessarily horrible. Blow her, the ravine was dark, cold and menacing. She angled her body to move even faster, to dive down into it. She loved the thrill of falling and her eyes only looked at her goal, though she could hear voices over the wind.

"What a stupid girl," one of the contestants said. "Falling to her death when she knows that there's not always an-"

"Now!" shouted Gon.

Nova didn't just take one egg, she took the entire sac and flew back up with it on the updraft. Some of the eggs had fallen out, the web not strong enough or large enough to hold all of them. There were still a good ten in the sac, and the heaviness of her bounty made her feel full inside. Menchi was still standing there, looking at her like she was some sort of odd specimen. This was why she should never try to differentiate herself. This was why she should just play it safe and stay in the middle of the pack. One more girl's weight wouldn't have made the web snap much faster than the rate it was going at, and surely it would have lasted a few more seconds.

But deep inside her, she wanted to show off, just a little bit, She wanted to be praised, and for people to recognize her and say that she was amazing. But the world didn't work like that, and it truly was a sorrow that it would typically only be your family that recognizes your aspects of you being great, because you are their child. But her parents didn't see her as a child.

Before anybody else came off of the updraft, she rushed and placed her eggs into the pot and waited. All of the others were still milling around, talking to each other and saying how thrilling the experience they had just gone through was. Half-hearted words of consolation were given to people who didn't jump, but the majority emotion was elation; a high of living. By the time they were done, she had pulled all of the eggs out and sat under the shade of the hunter association airship. This was what she was used to; hoarding things for her own sake and being on her own. Throughout the years, she found that she really did like it, in ways that other people wouldn't be able to imagine.

Underneath the airship, she clung to the part of the landing gear that was the farthest away from all of the other contestants. She had no reason to stay by them, for one of the examiners surely would have marked her off, what between the odd glances Menchi gave her, Netero's stroking of his beard, and Bean's ever present clipboard. Fumbling in the backpack she had brought with her, she wondered if she would be able to stash any of these eggs for a later date before shaking her head. They would most likely rot or break before they would be of any use elsewhere, so she might as well eat them all now.

She took the pen cap off and looked up her location on her phone before marking it on a world map that she had brought with her. If she ever wanted to make cash quick, this would probably be a good place to do it. She could gather eggs, rent an airship, bring it back to a market and be rewarded with much more than an airship's cost.

"Hello there, 144~" That damned clown. Too powerful and didn't know when to mind his own business. She stared him right back in his eyes, challenging him. Really, she's only been making bad choices since she's left the castle, but this was going to make up for the childhood she didn't have. Everything new, she would fawn over, and the barest hint of old was not to be mentioned.

"Hnngh~ that look in your eyes in just too good~" He licked his lips and thrust his hips out. She diverted her eyes to the scene behind her. Gon was offering some of his egg to the wrestler, Netero, Killua, Gittarackur and Buhara were all eyeing Hisoka and her. She hated to do it, but she bowed to him and left all of her eggs there before jogging off and standing a little bit behind Netero and Killua, who were standing side by side.

Hisoka walked over to 307 with lust still in his eyes. "She's going to be a beauty when she grows up~" And oh, how she wished she could turn her ears off, to trade speech for hearing, to speak- but she had come to terms with it. That was her body's way of compensating for her inability to speak.

"Heh, looks like you've got a lot of admirers," chuckled Netero. He glanced at her number pin and looked at something on Bean's clipboard. "Nova, is it?" She nodded her head up and down in response, wondering if it was a bad decision to choose here instead of somewhere else, where people were less aware of her. But Netero was strong, and she had a strong suspicion that Hisoka wouldn't dare hurt 99. 44 looked at Killua warily, like he realized he had potential like Gon did, but was scared of something else, scared of the repercussions of playing with him.

"What an interesting little girl. No last name?" She nodded. She could have put Arsenio on there, but it wouldn't have felt right. "An orphan, than?" She shook her head no and looked towards Gon, hoping to end the conversation. Though the eyes were still on her, no further attempt at conversation was made. Shrinking behind Killua as Gon approached, she wondered if she really wanted to meet him, to see how different he had become from her expectations. But then, she was standing behind Killua, a person she had decided she didn't want to be within a ten foot radius of. Her judgement was off.

He came bounding back, a ball of happiness and energy, right before Netero instructed all those who passed to get onto the airship. His grin was ever present as he turned his attention to her, and said, "Oh, the girl from earlier! What's your name?"Killua and Netero both stared at her, waiting to see how she would respond. She pulled out a small notepad and flipped to one of the first pre-prepared pages she had. I she was going to introduce herself to him, she might as well stay around him afterwards as well.

 _My name is Nova._

He looked at her curiously, wondering why she didn't speak before he voice the same question.

 _I am currently unable to speak due to a cold, which I do not want to get worse._

The three of them continued to walk towards the airship, Killua heading the group while Gon and Nova lagged a little bit behind. The blonde boy and the suited man also made their way over to them, and she inclined her head to the Kuruta to tell him that she remembered him. The older man asked, "Who is this?"

"This is Nova. Nova, meet Leorio," the old man. " and Kurapika!" The blonde. "She's sick so she can't talk." he explained as to why she did not speak up for herself. As the five of them boarded the airship, Nova decided that she did like Gon's personality, and that it didn't deviate much from what she expected except he was much less corrupt than she thought he would be. He was still a breath of fresh air, untainted, warm, and successful at bringing the feeling that she was loved. She only wished that he remembered her from that one day, but that was asking for too much. She only remembered him because he was a significant person in her life, and he had been mentioned so many times when his father wrote to her.

The forty-two remaining contestants made their way to the front of the ship, where the chairman and his secretary introduced themselves and explained why they were there. "Let's go explore the airship," said Killua, pulling on Gon's sleeve, but looking at Nova. "Do you want to come with us?" No harm, no foul, right? She could indulge. She nodded yes.

"We're going to head off to get some rest, Gon." Kurapika rested a hand on Gon's shoulder before he and Leorio departed to a room where they could get some rest. She resolutely stuck by Gon's side, partly because she didn't want to be alone when she faced Hisoka, Netero, or 307 again, but also because she wanted to fill herself with the happiness Gon brought with him. She highly suspected that Killua did the for now, as long as she still had her goal to find Ging in mind, she could have the childhood she never had at her home.

Maybe that was Ging's intention all along when he sent her to this hunter exam. So Nova smiled when she thought the other two weren't looking. It made her lips crack and bleed, but that was okay. It felt good to smile, and she hoped that with Gon and Killua, she would be able to do that more and more often.

#

"Hey, how many applicants do you expect to make it?" Menchi, sitting around a table with food that she prepared, questioned the other examiners.

"You mean pass the exam?" questioned Buhara.

"Yep. This year we have an impressive group, though I failed them all at one point."

Buhara finished the last of his plates on the table, and impressive stack of twenty plates on his right side. "Doesn't it depend on what the upcoming phases consist of?"

"True, but didn't you notice? One of them had this whole aura going on. What do you think, Satotz?" She leaned towards the man with no mouth, curious to hear his answers.

"I'm partial to the rookies this year." Satotz had a few in mind, those three kids were something to be wary of, because when they grew older, there was no telling what side they would play for. The girl was too quiet to tell, and 99's assassin training might change whatever path he really wanted to take originally.

Menchi agreed. "I'm partial to 294." Hanzo, the ninja.

"I like 99's chance." Killua.

"Ah, but doesn't he look like a selfish, arrogant brat?" She countered. "What about you, Buhara."

He nodded his head down. "He isn't a rookie, but it's 44 I'm partial to. I'm sue you noticed, but when 255 was throwing a fit, it was really 44 who was on the verge of killing someone."

"He could barely restrain himself from tearing off our heads. But he was like that since the first, always challenging me. That's the real reason why I was so on edge."

"I had the same experience. He should be carefully monitored." He took another sip of his tea. "It pains me to admit it, but we are birds of a feather with him, though he has a much stronger affinity for darkness. Every once in awhile, we see someone who hits the ground running, when we try to slow things down. An oddball of sorts."

All three of them shook their heads. "And then, there's the lesser noticed." All three of them knew who Menchi was talking about: 144, that girl who followed in Satotz's steps without him, a pro hunter, noticing. Leaving the station before Menchi could rule anything. Jumping off the cliff first, being the first in practically everything.

It was a cry that she wanted to be noticed, but at the same time, with all the times she disappeared and shied from attention, she didn't want anybody to see her. She was confusing, a mystery, but nen leaked out of her constantly, in an uncontrolled manner, but they could tell she hadn't trained. It was the wild aura that escaped, the life force. It showed that she had so much power that her body couldn't contain it, and it made them think that she was a time bomb, just waiting to explode.

Satotz remembered the fourth card shot at her. Already, she was acquiring dangerous people who didn't know how to feel about her. If she survived, she would definitely be one to watch.

They left the room with the threat of Hisoka hanging over their heads, and curiosity towards a girl who they knew practically nothing about.

#

 _I told you_ , Nova wrote on her notepad, shaking her head at Killua and Gon, who just got thrown out of the kitchen by a chef.

Gon rubbed the back of his head, but Killua stomped up to her and began to tickle her sides. At first, she didn't know what he was doing, and there was only a look of confusion, but then he flicked his fingers again, and again and- She could barely breathe. She was rolling on the floor, not making any sounds while Killua never stopped his advances on tickling her.

She pounded on the tiles, silently begging him to stop, but he didn't.

"Ma, ma, Killua, I think that's enough." He felt so at ease with this girl, but for some reason, he felt like he was the adult between the two of them. Ever since they started wandering the airship, Nova had been looking at everything with a rather childish wonder, and Killua had been trailing after her, suspicious at first, but then joining in on her fun. After an hour or so, the two had warmed up to each other. The three of them went to the dining hall and grabbed a quick snack. Gon and Killua both grabbed ribs that they could carry around and eat, but Nova grabbed all of the sweet things she could find; jello in cups, milkshakes, you name it, she had it.

Nova approached the window in small wonder, and both Killua and gon followed after. "Awesome!" said Killua, taking in the shining lights that they could see from up above.

"Killua, Nova, I was wondering… what do you parents do?"

"They're alive… I think." Killua sat down on the bench, facing Gon. "They're assassin."

"Both of them?" said Gon. Killua began to laugh. "That's your first reaction? You really are a 're the first person who's ever responded seriously." He glanced down at Nova, who had settled against the wall, eyes closed but clearly listening.

"You're telling the truth though, right?"

"That's weird, people generally only like me because they can't tell whether or not I'm serious or not… I'm from a family of assassins, so they're all assassins. My family has really high hopes for me, but I can't stand it. Who wants to have their life planned out for them? My mother had tears streaming down her face as she told me that I have what it takes to become a top assassin!" He looked out of the window longingly, but put on a series of funny faces to entertain Gon. "I ended up stabbing my mother in the face and my brother in the side. I'm sure they're out for blood now. But if I find them, I'll send them packing. When I become a hunter, I'll capture them. I'm sure they're worth some heavy bounties."

Nova opened her eyes and blinked twice. She would have given anything to have her family pay enough attention to her to plan her life out a few years ago, but now she saw where Killua was coming from. She, too, wanted to carve her own path. For so long, she had been deprived of contact with other people, or if she had any, it was people who were cruel and heartless. She was more similar to Killua than she thought, and that made her uncomfortable. They had such different personalities and she wondered what made people different.

Touching Killua's sleeve to ensure he saw her response, she smiled in quiet understanding before getting to her feet, realizing there was somebody watching them. Gon and Killua both followed her lead, feeling a tremendous power from down the hallway. It was menacing, just like Illumi's.

"Ah, Netero, did you see anybody coming from that side?" Gon pointed to the side opposite of where Netero had come out of. Nova had her hands at her side, fingers itching to take the knives out and throw them. Instead, she bowed to Netero, as way of greeting, acknowledging that she knew what he did.

"You're pretty fast for an old man," Killua said.

"That little trick? It was nothing." An aura was raised by Netero.

"What do you want? You don't need to do anything until the last phase, right?" Killua was instantly on guard, not for his friends, but for self-preservation, because that always came first. If he ended up helping Gon and Nova, that would just be part of the job.

"Don't be that way. I got bored and was just looking for some companions. By the wayy, I meant to ask you. What do you think of the Hunter Exam so far?"

Gon nodded in enthusiasm. "It's fun1 There haven't been any written exams."

"I'm disappointed. I expected the exam to be much harder. Can I assume that the next phase will be much harder?" He started to move, not allowing Nova time to write out her response. "Let's go, Gon, Nova."

"Now wait just a moment. Would you care to play a game with me?"Slowly, Killua angled his head back to see the old man talking. "If you're able to defeat me, I shall let you be hunters."

"Really? I'll play." Gon, in all of his innocence and naivete, didn't believe there would be any repercussions.

"How about it?" Netero turned his gaze to Killua. It was a silent agreement, and the three of them began to move off to the room, not realizing that Nova had already left them. She trailed behind them, like a ghost,and watched through the small circular window of the training room. To become a hunter earlier than expected… something in her gut was telling her that wasn't right, that there was something that they were missing if they accomplished Hunter status here, in that padded training room.

"You have until we land to get the ball from my hand. We're slated for an 8 AM arrival, so that gives you about nine hours. You're free to attack me how you like, and I can't attack you back." Netero balanced a black and yellow ball on the tip of a finger, and held Nova's gaze. She continued to stare in, as Killua proceeded on hs attempt to grab the ball from Netero.

 _Rhythm echo._ It was something she had read about in books, and this proved his story. There was no doubt that he had been trained by a family of assassin, for it was touted as an extraordinarily hard to accomplish technique. She had practiced it for days without success, and even now, four years after she discovered it, she was unable to perform the technique a hundred percent of the time. Still, despite how impressive Killua was, the technique was unsuccessful on Netero.

She knew there had to be a catch, and this was it. There wasn't any chance, even if all three of them tried at the same time, to successfully accomplish the tas that he set out for them. When Killua kicked Netero on his pivot leg, and the one sent back recoiling from pain was the white-haired boy, she knew it was hopeless. But still, she watched, to know of Ging's son growth, and to one day regale tales of watching her friends.

Maybe she should have been in there with them, but it didn't feel right. They needed to do this on their own, and she was an unknown factor. She would just watch them for a little bit longer, and then-

Gon made the mistake of jumping too high. It was a good try, but if that was what he was going to show, she would reserve judgment for later. All of them still had room to grow, but for now, she just wanted to rest. Nova had grown used to getting a luxurious eight hours of sleep every day, and this would now be the second all nighter that she pulled. Take a shower, eat some food, then find and empty room. That became her mantra as she wandered down the halls.

She opened a door-

Menchi, Buhara and Satotz stared back at her. She closed the door. Well, that wasn't the bathroom. She went down just a little bit further and opened the next one. 16, the one who had offered her juice, and a bunch of the other hunters were all huddled together in that room. Odd, because why would you sleep with people who could stab you in the back at any moment? Shaking her head, her fingers rewired the circuit in the room so that the lights would continuously go on and off before she locked the door. Hey, she did have a fair amount of free time when she left her home. Electronics had sort of been her thing.

The next door had a pretty, doll looking figure in it. Long, black hair, big black eyes, skin as pale as Killua's, and… well. She closed that door too, before he decided to come after her, and scurried own the hallway, not bothering to check the rest of them. The tag number 307 resided on his pin-ridden chest, the same pins that Gittarackur had on his face. Maybe she should knock instead, and then if nobody answered the door, or groaned from within, she would check it out.

She proceeded to do just that, but it seemed like every room was occupied. She did find the bathroom, and she cleaned herself up as well as her clothes, and found her way back to the dining hall. But when she began on her room seeking journey again, every single room she knocked on got some kind of response, right up until the last door at the end of the corridor.

Nobody responded, so she opened the door, slowly, slowly, and- god, she had the worst luck, didn't she. It was frickin' Hisoka, licking his lips and looking at her as he pushed his house of cards down. Nova got the feeling that he had been doing that for a while now. Just as slowly as she had opened the door, she closed it, and backed away before deciding that she didn't need the privacy of a room to sleep. She would just sleep on the benches Gon and Killua had been sitting on earlier. That wouldn't be a problem. It would be slightly uncomfortable, but less likely to get her killed by a psychopathic murderer that was in the room.

Because practically everybody left in this stage of the exam was either a master of a skill, really lucky, or psychopathic. And judging by her luck so far, she really didn't want to risk her life by sleeping in a room with somebody else, because you never knew who you were going to get.

Nova curled up underneath one of the benches and slept.

* * *

It might seem that Nova is a little bit OC in this chapter, but I feel like she isn't. Despite her having more self control than most of the characters, she is also human and has her flaws. As somebody who has been in one place for the majority of her life, all of these new experiences are things to treasure, and she is similar to a newborn child in that way. She does not have innocence, no, not anything of the sort, but she sees the world through a fragmented lens of what should have been her childhood.

Thanks for reading! I hope to hear from my readers, and thanks to all those that reviewed/followed/Favorited!


	4. Chapter 4

"You know, I haven't seen Nova in a while." Gon searched around on the top of Trick Tower. "Where do you think she went?" The airship had left them on the top of a tower, with seventy two hours to get to the bottom of it.

"She even left us when we were trying to get the ball from the old man." Killua was a little bit pissed. She had just up and left without a single word to either of them. Well, then she also had that weird cold thing, even though she didn't seem like she was sick. His eyes swept the top of the tower as well. "There's less people here than earlier."

"About half." Kurapika replied. "There are 23 people remainings, which suggest that more than half a people have found a way down."

"Kurapika, Leorio, over here." Gon waved them over. "You can go down by pushing on these stones and there's five of them."

"Each person can only use each door once." Killua added, recalling when they tried to use a door that they had seen a previous contestant using. "Gon and I have decided to use the doors and go down, not bad feelings if one of us springs a trap."

"I agree. On the count of three?" Kurapika suggested when each of them took a three of them jumped on the doors, falling through to..

The exact same room. Gon approached the dais, where there were five watches and a set of instructions above them. Kurapika took a closer look at the instructions. "Could it be that we can't leave until a fifth person drops in?" From a black box in the corner of the room, a voice spoke. "That's correct!"

The four of them turned to the corner, listening carefully. " I am the prison warden, Lippo, and will also be your third phase examiner. You have chosen the path of majority rule. Cooperation will be key if you wish to pass this phase. One person's selfish choices can derail the entire group. In addition, until a fifth person drops in, you are stuck here."

Killua slid down against the wall and sighed. "Really, where did Nova go? Id she had been with us, we could have gotten going already."

There were murmurs of agreement from all present.

"The only people up there are probably idiots." Leorio made a fair point, proven when Tonpa rained from the sky, just a few minutes later. More than four hours had passed, and there was only 68 hours left.

#

-Elsewhere-

Damn, did Nova wish she could speak, if only so she could curse. No doubt, if she could have, long strings of profanities would have come rushing out of her mouth. As it was now, she said them in her mind, never letting up for a moment.

 _Fuckity fuck, fucking shitty hell, scum of the Earth, why in the seven blazes do I always choose WRONG?_

First, she had been stuck with Hisoka of all people for about half an hour, not to mention he was the one waiting for her. She would have told Gon and the others about the trap doors, but no, she just had to step on the one next to where Hisoka had gone down. Really, she couldn't be any more unlucky. She thought that would have stopped when the paths diverged with their choices; she had chosen X, and he had chosen O for the paths, and it turned out that they actually did separate, though the cursed prison guard, Lippo, said that this was the path of 'Pairs'. Either way, she thought she was glad for whatever twist of fate that got her away from the clown, but instead, she was now faced with the horrors of 307.

In a way, she was glad that he didn't talk to her, because she didn't have to attempt to explain why she could not respond to him. But the staring was also bad. Quite, quite bad. His eyes were like a dead fish's eyes, and she regretted ever opening that door on the airship, because he clearly remembered her. He didn't go so far as to take the pins out of his face, but the first look he gave her when she dropped into the room he was at was evidence enough. When she wasn't trying to avoid his stare, she wondered where the other needles had come from, because there weren't any less needles on his vest.

The walls were pushing in on them now, and she gave the middle finger to the little camera in the corner, where she knew Lippo was watching the too of them, and probably laughing as well. When he had first come on the loudspeaker, she had heard the distinct rustling of a chip bag, and she would bet anything that he enjoyed to watch other people's pain and discomfort. Nova was now so close to 307 that she could smell the poison coming off him. It wasn't on all of the needles, but it was most definitely on some of them, and his long, nimble fingers looked like they were meant only to manipulate needles.

The two of them raced along the closing hallway, Gittarackur ever so slightly behind her. Internally, she wished that she wasn't in front of him, because that meant her back was exposed, and she couldn't know what he was doing. It was disconcerting, and right now the only thing keeping her alive was the fact that Lippo had implemented a 'no killing rule'. He must really be having a field day today.

So, now, she was praying to every god that she didn't believe in so she could get off this path and take one by herself. Of course, she would regret wishing for that too, because when she chose the path of logic, and Gittarackur chose the path of strength, she got stuck with the worst possible person to have on your team when it came to common sense. Friggin' Hanzo.

"-and when I was eight, we had to go through this training that focused on each individual finger strength. It took me ten days to train each finger, and all the while, we had to dodge kunai knives-" She wanted to bang her head on the brick wall next to her and ask the prison warden to change her partner again. Then again, every time she wished that, it had come true, and each choice just seemed to be getting worse. He didn't even pay attention to the riddles on the wall, which he left for her to do all by herself. For crying out loud, he didn't even ask her name, and had just started to tell her his life story.

Her fists pouded on the buttons, partially out of frustration at her situation,, and partly so she could get the door to open. Did the examiner think she was stupid as well as mute? Giving her a bunch of shapes and determining which slot they were supposed to go in was just insulting. He didn't even need any prompting to start the next subject. "-because during summer, the fish become more active, and we have to catch fifty a day in order to give to the rest of the villagers-" To be fair, not all of his subjects were boring. "-then I got a papercut on my left pinky and it really hurt, but because I'm a ninja, I didn't cry-"

Okay, maybe they were. Add that to the fact that her sense were now heightened because she had been on a path with two killers just moments before, and now she couldn't even turn off the listening part of her mind to concentrate solely on passing. But, she didn't wish for a different partner, because that probably would have just ended in a worse partner. _Damn her luck_ \- she stepped on exactly the wrong tile, and she dropped in on the triplets, Amori, Imori, and Umori. It really shouldn't have been that bad, except for the fact that these guys actually expected her to talk with them.

Wonderful.

They spent the next four hours trying to get her to talk to them, all the while facing flame spouts that appeared from random parts in the wall, pushing her in front so they could see if there were any weight sensitive traps, and teasing her about being mute.

"What, cat's got your tongue?" _God_ , those guys were idiots. She thought that she didn't really like Leorio because he seemed like an idiot, but these guys took the cake. Yeah, they smart with tactics, but anything else, nada, zip. Leorio was good with medicine, despite his explosive personality, but these guys were cunning, conniving, backstabbing bastards.

Nova really was cutting loose. In the castle, she hadn't even thought of any cuss words, partially because she didn't have full exposure to them yet. She just let the anger store within her stomach, and to an extent she still did. But she was moving constantly here, and that was also a good way to let off steam.

One of the axes cut her hoodie across the stomach but didn't go deep enough to actually cut her. When her feet touched the ground, she began to run. "Aww, did little-bitty mute girl get hurt?" Umori had looked back there was a trail of blood.

Contemplating whether or not to answer his 'mute' comment, Nova ultimately decided that pulling out her notepad at this point in time would just get it incinerated. That was a no-go. She shook her head and pointed to his own leg, still bleeding, even though the edges were turning purple, probably from poisoning. It had happened a while ago, if she recalled correctly. His face got red, fists clenching and unclenching with his brothers by his side. "You little bitch. Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" He reached out for her jacket, but she evaded his hand, pushing forward into the door they had decided they didn't want to take.

It was a straight drop down.

"Nova, contestant 144 is the fourth to arrive. Total time, 18 hours and 22 minutes." Wow, she really _did_ have the _best_ luck. All three guys that she had on her paths a) finished before her and b) were now in the same room as her, staring her down. Just shoot her already. Instead, she took to the many, many, many platters of food that somebody had left out for them and took three of them. She refused to look at 307 as he ate the thin bread stick like he was a tree cutting machine, didn't even glance at Hisoka as he shuffled his cards and licked his lips, and most definitely did not give Hanzo the chance to talk to her again.

Then she waited for Gon, Killua, and the others to catch up as she wondered why she couldn't have ended up with them instead.

#

Leorio let out a room-moving sneeze. "Geeze old-man, are you allergic to something here?" Killua eyed Leorio, vaguely disgusted by his poor hygiene. The man aspired to be a doctor, but he didn't even put a hand over his mouth when he sneezed. His spittle had gone all around the room, and Killua flung the parts that had gotten on him back at Leorio.

With his index finger, Leorio tried to see if there was anything else that was going to come out of his nose and then sniffed in. "It's probably because somebody's thinking about me," he said proudly, puffing his chest out and nodding his affirmation. Really self-centered, but a good guy at heart, deep, deep, deep under all of his obsession with women and money.

Fiddling with Gon's fishing pole, Killua hooked Leorio's pantsuit. Right after he sneezed, he had gone back to sleep and not bothered to clean up any mess. No, it was time for retribution. Dragging Leorio like a fish, he pulled him closer to Tonpa, who was also asleep. They were a great match, both of them with horrible smelling feet and toes in their socks. Barely conscious, Leorio moved around a bit after smelling Tonpa's horrible feet, and shoved his own near Tonpa's mouth. Thus ensued a horrible, horrible eight hours in which both of them refused to budge and the scent only seemed to get stronger with each passing moment.

Gon, who had been using Killua's skateboard, abruptly stopped and sat down on the unoccupied couch, followed by Killua. "Say, Killua," Gon began, looking up at the ceiling like it would provide him some answer that he was searching for. He did not wait for a response, because he already knew that his friend would be listening. "Do you think Nova is our friend?" It had been a question he had been genuinely wondering about for a good amount of time, ever since the top of Trick Tower.

Putting his hands behind his white hair, Killua said, "I don't know what to think of her." He thought that she was a lot like he was, because that's the kind of vibe she gives off. But she also sort of feels like Illumi, with a powerful presence behind her, powering every move that she made. Some people called it conviction, but Killua knew it was more. What his brother was able to do was not just conviction. He shook his head; he had come to the Hunter Exam to get away from his family, not to keep thinking about them.

Across the room, Kurapika stopped reading to listen in to their conversation. The girl that he had been running with in the tunnel. He was fairly sure that she had been listening to him as he told his story, but he didn't really mind. His gut told him that they were after similar things in life, and for that, he pitied her. No person so young should feel the want for revenge against somebody. He didn't want her to go down the same path that he was.

"I think she's really nice." That's what Gon had decided. "She reminds me of something from when I was younger, but I can't put my finger on it." A little girl that looked so similar to her had been in his dreams, dreams where his father was present. All of the dreams up to that point had been happy, but the dream that had the Nova look-alike had him crying at the end, but no matter how hard he tried to recall the dream, he couldn't determine the reason of his tears.

"Is that so?" At this point, Gon was also lying on the couch beside him, and both of them looked up at the white ceiling for no apparent reason but to not look each other in the eyes. Nova's footsteps were just like his, but he felt like it was for a different reason. Where he made his steps quiet to better help kill people, her footsteps had become quiet because she was scared. The first time he had set eyes on her, Killua thought she looked to fragile, too breakable. When she passed him, he thought that she wouldn't even have the strength to make it to the end of the tunnel.

He had been wrong, and she had kept up with them every step of the way. Killua was unable to tell whether she was following them, but seeing that she was a drifter, he told himself that she drifted to them for the same reason that he had drifted to Gon. She was probably looking for friendship. Unlike him, she seemed more detached, less willing to get up close and personal. Her constant frown made him uncomfortable, and he had found himself unexpectedly thrilled when she smiled as he started to tickle her on the airship.

Now, in the room where a glaring read clock read 22:43, he came upon the realization that he wanted to make that girl smile more in her life. If she was like him, then she should have a chance to smile too.

Side by side, Gon and Killua fell asleep, not lifting an eyelid when Kurapika walked to them and set a blanket over them. They were still children after all, and they deserved rest.

* * *

I think I liked how I ended his chapter. This chapter might seem a little short in comparison to past ones; my chapter lengths vary depending on how hard it is to write and what my mood is. This was really hard for me to get out because I was shifting Nova between so many people.

The time that the clock lists is the time they have remaining in the room.

I love reviews, followers, and favorites! They inspire me to write and let me know what else I can include in my stories etc.


	5. Chapter 5

What were the chances that one of the contestants would pick their own number? 1 in 25 chances. One divided by twenty five was .04: the percentage would be a lowly 4%. What did it mean if you picked your own number? Well, one would think that you would either get off scot-free, and just be allowed to keep your tag for a total of six points, or you would have to pick again, causing all of the people on the boat to redraw because they had already looked at what number their target was. She didn't tell anyone, no, not when there was a chance that the next week could be spent in relative relaxation, but of course, somehow, someway, the administration noticed.

"Would 144 please report to the hull of the ship? Thank you." The loudspeaker had a tinny quality to it, though the Hunter association had more than enough money to buy better speakers. If you leaned against the wall right below it, you could even feel the vibrations.

Nova had been halfway to getting to Gon and Killua, wanting to hear about their adventures in Trick Tower to get her mind off the terrible experience that she thought she would refer to as the 'most hellish part of the exam' when she looked back at these memories. Somebody was out to get her though, and now the fourth phase of the Hunter Exam had been made even harder.

'It's a highly unusual circumstance that somebody picks their own number," Netero said, brushing his beard with his fingertips. The grey tip at the end made Nova wonder whether he used the pointy end as a brush sometimes, when he couldn't find a proper writing utensil. "And so, we decided that we will give you two choices. Your tag may be worth six points," Yes, that was what she wanted, please, that would make her life so much easier, "However, that would mean that we would have to notify everybody else aboard this vessel that your tag would be worth 6 points, with the additional stipulation that you would be let out of the boat last instead of fourth. There has also been a request that since it is seen as an easier task to defend one's own badge rather than grab another's, that your tag would be modified to emit beeping noises for an hour every day."

Okay, maybe that wouldn't make her life easier. Her eyes darted around the room, not wanting Netero to find any kind of response in her eyes before she was completely ready to decide. It was a quaint little room, one that she would expect aboard a normal ship. The only difference was the large banner on the wall that had the Hunter Association's logo on it, and a few odd books that had the same aura that people did.

"Second option is for a different task to be prepared." Netero was standing next to the window, looking at her from the corners of his eyes. Her hands were trembling, eyes downcast, lips pressed together. She refused to look him in the eyes, though he wasn't expecting as much anyways. His nen output had been increasing ever since he began to speak, but it was clear now that this girl would not back down.

It was sad though, because there was no defiance in her eyes, no fiery hope like Gon's, no burning gaze of hatred like Killua's, but an overwhelming feeling of defeat. Despite all of that, she did not make any move to step away from him, and to be honest, he was expecting a reaction like Killua's when his nen felt malicious and he jumped away. Just like every other person who was taking the exam this year, he had a file on her. It had been harder to find information about her, due to the fact that she did not give her last name, and even once he knew, it was difficult to discover anything more, because the Arsenios never claimed to have a daughter.

The Arsenios had been dead for nearly twelve years now. The girl, already shattered, who shook behind him was indeed their daughter. There was no other logical explanation for how the chain of events in her life had happened. A side branch of the Arsenio family had been visiting to celebrate the expecting mother, an admired hunter. The father was supposed to tell her so she could realize the responsibility that they beared by having a child- together. It never should have happened.

"If you choose the second task, it would be to undergo training with all of the hunters that have appeared in the exam so far. By the end of the week… you would have to force one of them to cry out 'mercy'. If you're not able to do that, you can't pass." What a cruel man Netero was. He knew well what would happen if he trained her like this, and yet he proposed it anyways. She still had a choice, he told himself as he guiltily fiddled with the tip of his beard. She always had a choice.

But then, she didn't, because she was a logical, rational person. If she decided to go to the island and have her badge be worth 6 points, there was no doubt in her mind that alliances would be formed to attack her, and she knew she wasn't strong enough or prepared enough to face that. She shuddered to think about Gittarackur or Hisoka trying to get her tag, and her mind had been set. If she had a week to make just one of them call mercy… In her mind, she recalled all of the times that she had wanted to cry out that hated, most disgusting word.

By the end of the week, she was sure that she could make at least one of them cry the word out, even if it took all of the prior knowledge of pain. The pressure on her body increased, but she had stopped shaking now. She locked eyes with Netero, who had turned to face her and raised two fingers.

Netero smiled at her, and her fate was sealed. "You can go see your friends. They will call your name out to go on the island fourth, and as soon as you get on the island, climb on top of the tallest tree you can find. Somebody will come to get you." She nodded and turned to reach for the door knob. He called her back. "And Nova, I'd advise you to not tell anybody about this. Tell them a random number who is still here, and let them believe that you'll be doing the same thing that they are. There's no reason to let them know that you're different."

She did not nod her confirmation and turned the door handle so she could walk out and slam the door. Netero didn't mind, because he was sure that she would make the right choice, because she was a logical person.

"Killua," Gon nudged his best friend, looking up at Nova's slight figure walking down the hallway. "I wonder whose number she got." He tugged on his sleeve to pull him in her direction. There was a need to pull him, because he obstinately stuck his feet to the floor, making himself heavier so he could not be moved.

Killua realized that allowing himself friends was forbidden. All of of the blood he had spilled, he should not be allowed to touch such pure creatures with his two hands. Gon was so pure, so innocent, that he allowed himself to think that if he kept himself around him, he would be able to pull himself out of the darkness. And as much as he wanted to be a twelve year old with him, to be friends, he could not.

With Nova, he could not convince himself to believe that she was light enough to pull himself out. She was broken, but she managed to hold herself together like he could not bear to. She had seen some of the horrors that this world had to offer, and she turned the other cheek. He could not allow himself to frag somebody so strong down. It would be a cardinal offense, a sin worse than all of the assassinations he had done in his short life time.

Gon stopped tugging on his sleeve because Nova was already upon them, broken smile on her face. In the back of his mind, Killua wondered what she had been called to the hll for, but Gon asked his question, so he could not. "Why were you called to the hull?"

Her face transformed into the face that he had seen for a few moments in the tunnel in the first phase. It was fear masked by indifference, but Killua did not know that. Killua thought she was shutting herself down because of him. The moment his eyes had met hers in the tunnel, there was fear swimming in them. Instead of facing his fears, the white-haired boy jammed his hands in his pockets and turned to the side so he could not look directly at Gon's blinding goodness, or the silent strength that Nova spread.

So much pain- _So much pain in those eyes._ It cut him worse than any blade laced with poison that he had faced. It hurt worse than when Illumi had made him watch as he tortured Kalluto, hurt worse than when he had to take the whip up himself. A pang went through his heart as he imagine Alluka's heart-broken face when she discovered that he had left her in that cold place that was not a home. For a moment, he looked at Nova, and her face blurred with Alluka's, even though they looked practically nothing alike.

He couldn't bear to let either one of them down, and he resolved that by the end of the Hunter Exam, he would make Nova smile more, and he would retrieve Alluka from the Zoldyck estate, so she could be happy. They deserved more happiness than he did, the selfish person that didn't think of how his actions would hurt others.

Already, he had started to walk away, hands clenched like his heart when he heard Nova nearly tackle Gon. They deserved love, not a heartless killer like him. He glanced back, eyes shining, a sense of bittersweet irony filling him. He never liked pain, not any kind of it. Yet somehow, he couldn't help but be happy when Nova's teary-eyed gaze and upwards turning lips were focused on Gon, and Gon alone. He did not expect them to notice that he was gone-

"Killua!" Gon reached his hand out. As long as they wante him there, he could not refuse. His heart wouldn't let him, stunted and twisted as it was.

#

"144," a person said, "is the fourth to leave the ship." Fourth to arrive to the bottom, fourth to leave, number 144- the first to leave the island.

She ran as fast as her legs would let her, racing against the winds that were constantly getting faster, pushing against her. She felt eyes on her, Hisoka's and Gittarackur's. They were predators, waiting for their prey to come along. They were smart, intelligent, and well-trained. She raced past them, and all they felt was the wind. It was a foreign feeling, but at the same time, familiar.

She had never run from her problems before this year, but now it seemed that she was constantly on the run. It made her feel weak, unworthy. This time, though, somebody else had requested this of her, so it was not he fault, not her choice(oh, but it always was, she could have chosen the different path), nobody could blame her.

With each step, her already dirty sneakers sunk further and further into the dirt, making it harder to move on. It took twice as much energy to get her feet up to run than it usually would, and she thanked the stars above for letting her have the common sense to train with weights to give her an advantage during times like these. She climbed up exactly one tree s far, so she could have an estimation of where the tallest tree was. Right now, she was only seventy percent sure that she was going in the right direction, but she didn't want to waste more time trying to climb a tree and failing when she should already be at her destination.

Instinct made her climb a tree anyways, when a dark pressure around her increased. Higher ground is an advantage, words that she found in many books on strategies that she read once she escaped from the Arsenio Castle. The tallest tree in the area was ten trees away from her, but the branches of the trees surrounding her looked to fragile to risk jumping from limb to limb; she did not want to try and fail on her first attempt, plummeting to the ground faster than a rock would. As it stood now, there were scrapes all over her elbows and hands from falling off the first tree she tried to climb.

Not very delicately, she jumped off the tree once she climbed down to a height that would not harm her too much, if she fell. Nova did not like trees very much; she didn't like the sticks and bark that they produced either. When she dropped to the floor, a thousand things snapped all at once as she cringed, the silence of her surroundings broken. Being silent was top on her list, and she definitely was not managing that very well. All she wanted to do was get to a tree not more than ten yards away, but she had to do something stupid like this.

She was prey now. Her eyes darted up, and she found herself staring into the eyes of Hisoka. "Nova~ What a surprise to find you here~" His voice was so creepy, every atom in her body told her to flee. That pressure he exerted made her stay, such a contradictory thing she wanted laugh at the same time she cried. It was the aura he gave off that made her want to flee, but her mind processed it a different way; she wanted to stay and watch.

"Where are you running off to? It seems as though you have a goal in mind~" Hisoka hit the nail on the head, but Nova did not give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was right. Then, because Hisoka was a pair, there are always two Jokers in a deck- Gittarackur came into the cramped clearing that was not larger than a few trees that were cut down. The yellow pins in his head made nova's stomach turn. It didn't look right, and she remembered the pretty, feminine creature that he had been on the airship. This wasn't him, this was a disguise.

"Oh? It looks like somebody has discovered your disguise, Illumi~" That was his name, not Gittarackur. Balls of feet the only part of her body on the floor, all of her muscles tensed when Illumi looked at her, with dead eyes. More scary than Hisoka, more scary than anything she had faced in her life so far, though there wasn't much to speak of for her life. She wasn't fast or strong enough to get away from that, she knew that from their stances. They stood, self-assured; confident, each subtle movement screaming of strength and training.

Why did she go to the Hunter Exam again?

Overhead, a helicopter flew. Yes, that was right, she went to the Hunter Exam to find Ging, to find Gon, to see the world. She would not be stopped here, no matter how strong they were. The tale of the Lion and the Mouse told her that she would be able to achieve much greater things that any innately strong person if she just thought. She had a good mind, or so she liked to think. All she needed to do was get to the top of the tallest tree. That was it, nothing more and nothing less.

It was a flash, a burst, and Nova did not know what she did, and she did not think she could duplicate it again. It was similar to a series of lucky events, all happening one after another, but influenced by her. A tree fell into the clearing they were in, and it brought up a cloud of dust. It was loud, too loud, and her ears started to ring. This was the opportunity she had wanted though, the one she needed.

She took one step, and then another, and another, and then jumped. Nova made it halfway up the top of the tallest tree, and then she began to climb, just as Hisoka and Illumi became aware of where she was. She reached her hand up and missed; a pin went through the place where she was going to put her hand. She stood on a breaking branch and pushed. The branch fell down and hit something, perhaps someone. No more needles came flying at her.

Then, she was safe in the embrace of rope. Her body relaxed, but only just slightly. "That was a good escape, 144. I'm surprised that you escaped 307 and 44."

44 hadn't participate, no, she knew that if he did, she would be still on the ground, lying prostrate, begging to live, begging to see the rest of the world. She knew that Illumi hadn't truly tried, because if he(she?) had, then she would be dead, a needle imbedded in her hand and poison coursing through her veins. Nova did not know if Illumi underestimated her, or if he had chosen to let her go. She did not care to know either.

"Well, we'll be heading off to the hunter Association Headquarters. That's where your testing will begin. We suggest you get some rest now, because after this, you're not going to be getting any." She followed the man's advice, not particularly caring that the blonde man had not been one of her proctors. Her heart was heavy and her legs were tired.

Her sleep was so deep that she did not feel the menacing pressures sent her way, before they were silenced by another, kinder one that enveloped her body subconsciously. The blonde man smiled. This one would be fun to train.

* * *

RIP finals

RIP life

just RIP

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